The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-10-12
Garrett Inclined to Fight the Western
Unions Title to the B. & o..
Angry Because the Deal Was Consummstsd
While he Was on the Ocean.
Hints Of Consolidation Which was Nearly
Completed by Garrett.
How Wcetern Union People TaIk-The
United Lmes-New York and Chicago
Press SRtspoken In the Matter.

L r.,
+ the following" It's no trade, gentlemen"
! said Mr.. Robert Garrett to Edward Stokes
/ and small party of friends at the hoffman
/ House early last evening. He referred to
| the sale of the Baltimore and Ohio Tele-
graph Company to Jay Gould. The an
Rouncement, most emphaiically mace. was
| a genuine surprise to Mr.. Stokes and his
friends. They supposed the sale had been
| ratified and that all the papers relating to
it had been signed, sealed and delivered.
| They limited as much, asking Mr.. Garrett
| IL he had read the papers. Mr.. Garrett re-
| piled that he had but repeated that in spite
| of everything said and done, the Baltimore
and Ohio Telegraph Company had no. yet
been absorbed by its hungry rival. Mr..
Garrett looked and spoke as If he was very
| much in earnest. There e no exaggeration
in the statement that it pct Mr.. G arrett in
bad humor TO discover that the syndicate
| apparently console red his presence entirely
| unnecessary. M. Garrett thought so much
haste unseemly, :. d in discussing the sale
last evening be aid so. The syndicate
| might have waved he thought, until he
was upon the 81 ,und before 1t disposed of
the property IN the preservation OF which
he was particularly interested.
1t looked odd, he said, that an attempt
should be made to sell the property while
he was on the ocean and not in a position
to interfere with plans in which he was a
least entitled to vote. At least when Mr..
Garrett left the Hoffman House he had i'm
pressed his hearers with the idea that Gould
might have good deal OF trouble before
he could legally claim the B. & o. Tele-
graph Company az his own. One thing
they were satisfied Of, that Gould would not
be allowed to keep his new purchase at the
price he is said to have paid for it.
Mr.. Garrett, in addition TO announcing
that no trade had been made, said that
Gould would, under no circumstances, get
pany S., 0O0, 600; he would have to pay q
good deal bigger figure, for he was the last
man in the country to whom Garrett
would be willing to sell. Robert Garrett
did not say all this until he had long
talk with John K. Cowsn, and other coun-
sci. He spent several hours at the Bre-
WORT in consultation with his lawyers, and
the matters under discussion were consid-
cred so important that 2 O'Clock arrived
before MIR. Garrett bethought him OF
promise he had made tolunch with some
friends at the Manhattan club. Lunch
having been disposed of Mr.. Garrett
walked up to the house and there made
opponents of Western Union and friends
of competitors in telegraphy, happy by
declaring that he meant fight and felt sure
of winning. He was inclined to this way
OF thinking through ths knowledge that
the B. & o. Telegraph Company was in
debted to him personally to the, not alto.
gether trivial, sum of between $500, 900 and
500 900. When Mr. Garrett returned to
the Brevoort house last evening he was not
in talkative mode so fer as business was
concerned. He had nothing to say, mot
now at least perhaps in a day or two"
6oVLDs DENY GARRET-tS STATEMENT
The statement in the morning paper to
tAs effect that Robert Garrett, referring to
the absorption of the b & 0. telegraph
lines by the Western Union, that TITS no
trade, gentlemen" caused considerable
talk to-day, but no excitsment: Western
Union went of point, but that was not
attrlb uted to Mr.. CARROTS alleged denial
of the sale. Mr.. George Gould treated the
story Iaughingly. He did not believe that
Mr.. Garrett was correctly quoted. AL
though the collateral has not been turned
over, the agreement has been signed and is
| m our possession. There is no b. 81 o. tel
egraph now, as the wiIe5a are part OF our
division" Mr.. Gould also denied the
statement in the same article that the B. 81
@. owed Mr.. Garrett personally between.
| g, 900, 600 and 81 ,0C0,0C9 Mr.. W. B. Som
| erville, of the Western Union, was author
| lied to say that DR.. NOJYin Green did moi
believe the story, and that DR.. Green wa
SO confident that therewoald be no troubl {
| about the sale that no had deci ded to issu {
| no statement about the matter contrary 9
| his original intention.
mo slight was intondsd to Mr.. Garrett y
| continued Mr. SomerIille, "by closing ht
sale while he was or.his way from Eurol )e
| The hurry was TO prevent the possibility oil
| an injunction being obtained by which the
sale wouId be deferred. Any holder oil
| Western Union stock could have caused de-
| lay, and holder cf1GO shares could AVE
| made any amount OF trouble"
| SIR. Somerville was asked il Mr.. Gs rreti
/ &Ha
tainly he could not" he replied. wv.
bought the lines from the Drexel-M organ
syndicate, who vzsTe the legal custod ans oi
the property, and fully empowered to sell
We have the property safe and sVue. Ii
Mr.. Garrett said that the B. Il o. owes him
So, 900 600, and, the statement is true, the
| officers of the B Il o., have made false
report. The telegraph company might
owe him something if he owned the rail
road entirely, but be does not. The 3. 4
o. still have the privilege of using certain
of the lines. but all Will be peaceablv ar
ranged, you may be sure. If he autici
pated any trouble, Mr.. Jay Gould would
not be out OF town until Monday"
Mr.. GaaFett still refuses TO see reporters
or to say whether the great telegraph dea
has been legally completed or not.
HON. MR. STOKES TAKES IT.
Mr.. Stokes sat in the private ONCE at the
Hoffman this morning, when q reportei
accostsd him on the subject of Mr.. Gar
rett' o threats of the night before He We
asked this question: ibid Mr. Garrett say
to you last night that there would be NJ
desl with the Western UnionN
''TIe said there would be fun somewhere
He was very mach excited AID abused ia.
Gould without stin'. If there had been
tsaoe he said, it would not hold water"
''Did he threaten to sue Mr.. Gou'dr'
Eyes, he threatened all sort of things
4 He said that he had been sold out by hi
friends, and that he wozld get even al
around. l never raw him 80 excited. ID
: declared that snap Judgment BAD beel
: | taken On him when he was away, but tina
the conspirators would find that thei
plans would not hold"
"Did you have any dealings with MI
Garrett in reference to the B. 81 0. tsle
/; graph lines?"
"Yes, Q good many. When Mr.. Garre'
, went to Europe the other gentlemen en-
gagged in the deal believed that we ha
|, about effected the consolidation OF tn
: Baltimore and Ohio, the Postal and To
United Lines telegraph companies. Ii Ga
rett bad done as he promised to dc, tn
Western Union would never pay anotht
= dividend"
m "What was the promise?"